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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1980
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT DIRECTORS OF PRISONS AND COMMISSIONERS CARRYING RESPONSIBILITY FOR PRISONS AND OTHER CORRECTIONAL SERVICES IN THE ASIAN AND PACIFIC REGION HAVE EVER MET TO SHARE EXPERIENCES AND CONSIDER POLICY. THE CONFERENCE DEMONSTRATED THAT PRISON INSTITUTIONS ALWAYS TENDED TO REFLECT THE PROBLEMS OF THE SOCIETIES THEY SERVED. MOST PROBLEMS AROSE FROM DEEP VALUE CONFLICTS WHICH WERE INTENS IF IED IN PRISON CONDITIONS. PROBLEMS IN PRISONS WERE THEREFORE MORE TYPICAL OF THE COUNTRIES OF PURELY WESTERN CULTURE IN THE REGION THAN OF THE COUNTRIES WITH AN ASIAN AND PACIFIC SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS TRADITION. THERE, THE PRISON PROBLEMS WERE RARELY SUCH THAT THEY COULD NOT BE SOLVED BY INCREASED RESOURCES AND IMPROVING TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT. HAVING COMPARED EACH COUNTRY'S ALLOCATIONS, IT WAS UNFORTUNATE THAT IN MOST COUNTRIES, BUDGETS FOR PRISONS CARRIED A LOW PRIORITY.
+DISCIPLINE IN THE SENSE OF MUTUAL RESPECT WAS AN ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF ALL WORK WITHIN PRISONS AND OTHER CORRECTIONAL SERVICES. ONLY WHERE THIS COULD BE DEVELOPED, MORALE KEPT HIGH AND THE PERSONAL INTER-RELATIONSHIPS FOSTERED COULD HARMONY AND SATISFACTION BE ASSURED. MEDIA LINKS WERE NECESSARY TO KEEP THE PUBLIC INFORMED AND TO ENSURE JUSTICE FOR THE OFFENDER- BUT IN NO OTHER AREAS WAS THERE A GREATER NEED FOR MEDIA RESPONSIBILITY IN REPORTING.
+ASIA AND THE PACIFIC COUNTRIES WERE IN GENERAL COMMITTED TO THE IDEAL OF HELPING OFFENDERS TOWARDS REHABILITATION= THOUGH THEY ACCEPTED THAT THIS PRINCIPLE MUST NOT BE USED TO JUSTIFY DISCRIMINATION. REHABILITATION MEANS PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR TRAINING, INDUSTRY, EDUCATION AND IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES CONSISTENT WITH SECURITY AND PROTECTION OF THE PUBLIC.
+THE CONFERENCE HAD FOUND ITS WORK VALUABLE AND CONSIDERED THAT SUCH A GATHERING SHOULD BE HELD ANNUALLY IN THE REGION. IF THEY CONTINUE IT WAS AGREED THAT THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGY SHOULD CONTINUE TO CONVENE AND PROVIDE THE SUBSTANTIVE ORGANISATION OF THESE MEETINGS AND THAT THE PARTICIPATING GOVERNMENTS SHOULD IN TURN PROVIDE HOST FACILITIES. THE CONFERENCE EXPRESSED ITS APPRECIATION TO THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGY FOR THE EFFICIENT SERVICING OF THE CONFERENCE ON THIS OCCASION AND THE VALUABLE SUPPORT DOCUMENTS WHICH COULD BE USED THROUGHOUT THE REGION. IT SOUGHT TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND TRAINING TO BE IMPROVED IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC.
+ THE CONFERENCE WAS FULL OF ADMIRATION FOR THE WAY IN WHICH IT HAD BEEN HOSTED BY HONG KONG ON THIS OCCASION, IT HAD BEEN DEEPLY IMPRESSED BY THE QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF THE PRISONS DEPARTMENT AND WAS PROFOUNDLY MOVED BY THE FRIENDSHIP, THE COOPERATION AND THE GENEROSITY WHICH HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO ALL PARTICIPANTS BY ALL MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG PRISONS DEPARTMENT FROM THE JUNIOR RANKS TO ITS COMMISSIONER.
/+PARTICIPANTS OF